Mandating self-checkout raises costs. Consumers pay the price. Retail operates on razor-thin margins. When local ordinances require additional staffing at every checkout lane, stores face new costs including more labor hours per day, higher training and compliance costs, and operational disruptions during peak shopping periods. Those costs don't disappear. They get passed to shoppers, or stores close.

An analysis of a similar statewide proposal found that self-checkout restrictions could increase retail operating costs by at least $497.1 million annually.

We've seen this story before. After California's FAST Act (AB 1228) took effect, fast food prices in the state rose approximately 10% more than in comparable states, according to a UC Riverside study, and the industry shed thousands of jobs.

Many Californians prefer self-checkout. Lawmakers should respect that choice.

• Customers prefer self-checkout for small basket purchases where they want to get in and out quickly.

• Privacy-conscious consumers often prefer self-checkout when purchasing personal or sensitive items.

• With the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics bringing visitors from around the world to Southern California, tourists will expect convenient, modern shopping options.

A failed statewide bill is now becoming a city-by-city campaign. That's worse.

The UFCW pushed a statewide self-checkout mandate in Sacramento last year. It didn't pass. Now the same effort is moving jurisdiction by jurisdiction potentially creating a patchwork of conflicting local ordinances that creates compliance chaos for retailers operating across multiple cities, imposes steep additional costs on stores already operating on thin margins, and limits retailers' ability to respond to consumer demand and changing labor markets.

For small and independent retailers especially, these costs can be the difference between staying open and closing.

Self-checkout doesn't replace workers. It allows them to do more meaningful work.

Retail is one of California's largest employers, offering entry-level positions with real pathways into management and skilled trades. Self-checkout frees store associates to focus on the tasks that actually improve the customer experience: floor assistance, product knowledge, returns, and complex transactions.

UFCW and other proponents of self-checkout mandates say this is about worker safety. That’s wrong. In 2024, the California Retailers Association helped negotiate a bipartisan 11-bill retail theft package signed by the Governor that gave retailers, employees, and law enforcement stronger tools to combat retail theft and improve store safety.

As Los Angeles prepares to host the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, millions of visitors will expect modern, efficient shopping experiences. Self-checkout technology helps stores move customers quickly during high-volume events while allowing employees to assist shoppers throughout the store. California should be embracing innovation and operational readiness - not creating long lines, inconsistent local rules, and outdated restrictions.